Every Game In Focus (Round 15, NBL25)

Every week of the Hungry Jack's NBL25 Season, we'll be previewing the big games, the big names and all the key talking points.

Check out the Round 15 Preview below.

Don't forget, every game of the NBL25 season is live on ESPN.

Sydney vs South East Melbourne

When: Thursday, January 2 - 7.30pm AEDT
Where: Qudos Bank Arena
Watch: Live on ESPN via Kayo | NZ: ESPN | International
Scores: Download the free NBL App

Watch for: This is a vital double-points game for the Sydney Kings, who are trying to climb into the top two and South East Melbourne, who is fighting to cement their place in the top six. Both teams have shown glimpses in recent weeks of strong form that is more than capable of a deep Finals run, which makes this a fascinating matchup.

With all the questions that have surrounded the form of Sydney this season, the Kings still still sitting comfortably in the top half of the standings and are looking as dangerous as any chasing team. What makes this matchup even more intriguing is the fact that the Phoenix have a number of former Kings players on their team, which always heightens the emotions in game. One way or another, the outcome of this battle will have a big say in how the standings are shaped by season’s end.

Players to watch: Kouat Noi has been quietly going about an extremely productive and damaging season off the bench for the Sydney Kings. The most impressive part about his performances are the fact that they can come at any point where the team desperately needs his energy and scoring punch. It could be early in the first quarter or late in the clutch, but Noi has firmly put his name into the Best Sixth Man conversations this season.

The Phoenix will be hoping their former Kings' group of Angus Glover, Derrick Walton Jr and Jordan Hunter all enjoy the chance to go into Qudos Bank Arena and silence their former fans. All three have been pivotal in the way this South East Melbourne team have turned things around and they now get that chance to send a statement to the rest of the league.

They also have the vital experience of Tom Vodanovich coming off the bench.

The stat: Sydney is the worst free-throw shooting team in the league (72 per cent).

Missing in action: Jaylin Galloway is out for the season (shoulder). Keli Leaupepe is out (hamstring).

Illawarra vs Cairns

When: Friday, January 3 - 7.30pm AEDT
Where: WIN Entertainment Centre
Watch: Live on ESPN via Kayo | NZ: ESPN | International
Scores: Download the free NBL App

Watch for: This is a danger game for the Hawks, because if you are just looking at every statistic on paper about the match-up, you’d think there is no way they can lose this game. It’s the top team in the standings and best team in the league, against the bottom-placed Taipans, who have endured their longest ever losing streak this season. However, that’s what makes this game an enticing one, because there is nothing more dangerous than a team with nothing to lose.

Cairns has a free swing at the ladder-leaders and can play free and confident, because outside of the Taipans' own locker-room, no one will give them much of a chance to win this game. However, while the Taipans have struggled to close out games since Round 3, their actual form hasn’t been as poor as their record suggests. They have shown numerous times to be a very dangerous and potent team, especially from the perimeter. With the Hawks flying high, it will be a big opportunity for them to show they can stay locked into the task ahead and get the job done.

Players to watch: Taran Armstrong and Rob Edwards may still be the most prominent scorers on this Taipans team, but Sam Waardenburg is the key to their success. The third-year big man has been borderline unstoppable this season and has been playing with supreme confidence all over the floor. Armstrong and Edwards are also crucial in helping their big man get to his right spots and help make his life easier on the offensive end.

The Hawks are the best team in the entire league because they have nine players who are contributing at an incredibly high rate. The bench unit of Will Hickey, Darius Days, Lachlan Olbrich and HJ Lee are far and away the strongest of any team, which makes this Hawks outfit so incredibly tough. When any team has got a jump on Illawarra early, Justin Tatum inserts his bench sparks and quickly swings the game back to his team’s favour.

The stat: Illawarra is the best field-goal shooting team in the league, at 49.2 per cent.

Missing in action: Akoldah Gak is out (knee).

Adelaide vs Melbourne

Summer Shootout game

When: Saturday, January 4 - 5.30pm AEDT
Where: Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Watch: Live on ESPN via Kayo | NZ: ESPN | International
Scores: Download the free NBL App

Watch for: It’s the rematch that every fan has been waiting for when Adelaide hosts Melbourne at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre. This will be the first time that these two teams have met since the altercation before the FIBA Break, which saw Montrezl Harrell and Kendric Davis suspended. Those suspensions came following an on-court incident where Rob Loe and Shea Ili were involved with Harrell, before referees intervened and separated the two teams.

What makes this matchup even more exciting is that it is the first Summer Shootout game for the month of January, where United has selected the 36ers as their opposition in hopes to run up a big score and win the prize money. Adelaide has had its issues defensively all season, which is what made them an easy target for selection in the Shootout, but with more than just money on the line, this will be full of fireworks.

Players to watch: Chris Goulding is the one player on United’s roster who can silence a crowd and rip a game open all at once. He might be 36-years-old, but the superstar hasn’t slowed down at all, as he averages his most points in a season since 2013. What makes that even more remarkable is that he’s doing it while averaging seven less minutes than he did over 10 years ago. With Matthew Dellavedova second in the league in assists, it’s his ability to find Goulding with ease, which has allowed him to be so damaging.

When Adelaide has been able to secure big wins, it’s been Davis and Harrell who have led the charge offensively. Similarly to United with Goulding, what makes it a lot easier for the star duo is having DJ Vasiljevic back in the lineup to space the floor. Adelaide’s season hangs in the balance and they simply cannot afford many more losses if they want to make the finals.

The stat: Melbourne is first in the league in assists, at 21.3 a game.

Missing in action: Sunday Dech is out (hamstring). 

Brisbane vs Sydney

When: Saturday, January 4 - 8pm AEDT
Where: Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Watch: Live on ESPN via Kayo | NZ: ESPN | International
Scores: Download the free NBL App

Watch for: It’s another Summer Shootout game early in January, when the Sydney Kings head up to Brisbane and look to run up the score and win the prize money. The Kings match up well against the Bullets all over the floor and will be very confident they can achieve their task against a team that has had some struggles defending. The one concern for for the Kings is that they are severely undersized in the big man department against Brisbane, and it will likely hurt their chance to get extra opportunities from the offensive glass.

The Bullets have shot the ball very well on their home floor and led by Casey Prather and Keandre Cook, they have been able to string together some big wins. Reportedly set to add in former Tasmania guard Josh Adams to the lineup, this team isn’t short of offensive weapons and are gelling at the right time of the season, even with James Batemon sidelined.

Players to watch: The key for Sydney will be how they can let Jaylen Adams and Xavier Cooks make their imprint on this game early and often. Cooks has an advantage with whoever Brisbane use to defend him, because of his size, length and ability to get out in the open floor. Cooks has had some big games against Brisbane in recent years and will be looking to showcase that once again.

Outside of the strong guard play from Brisbane, Tyrell Harrison has the height and interior presence to be a nightmare for Sydney, if he’s aggressive in this game. The New Zealand big man has really become a prominent big man offensively this season and is rewarding Justin Schueller’s playing style to throw the ball inside to him. If Harrison is able to take over the game like he did against a smaller Cairns team earlier this season, it could be trouble for Sydney.

The stat: Sydney are the best defensive team in the competition, with a 107.6 rating.

Missing in action: Jaylin Galloway is out for the season (shoulder). Keli Leaupepe is out (hamstring). Sam McDaniel is out for the season (shoulder). James Batemon is out for the season (hamstring), alongside Deng Adel (hand).

New Zealand vs Perth

When: Sunday, January 5 - 2.30pm AEDT
Where: Spark Arena
Watch: Live on ESPN via Kayo, 10, 10 Bold & 10 Play | NZ: ESPN | International
Scores: Download the free NBL App

Watch for: The Breakers were back on the winners list with a big win over Cairns to round out the calendar year. It was exactly the type of game that they needed in order for them to try and find the form that they had to begin the season. Returning home, the Breakers welcome a Perth team that will be feeling great after the big win in Adelaide. The Wildcats are hoping to cement themselves into the top six, as they get close to finishing their tough travel schedule.

New Zealand still has to find a way to navigate through the next four games without Parker Jackson-Cartwright, but the initial signs were great for the team with how Matt Mooney and Mitch McCarron stepped up. It’s the longest away game in the NBL when either the Breakers or Wildcats play each other.

Players to watch: Mooney had his best game for New Zealand against Cairns, where he notched up a big double-double. The import guard has been inconsistent with his play over the last couple of months, but he stood up when his team needed him too. Defensively, McCarron was enormous with how he shut down Taran Armstrong and combining that with Tacko Fall stepping up his game and it was all smiles for the Breakers.

While Bryce Cotton again led the way for his team in their win over Adelaide, it was Dylan Windler who stole the show with his emphatic 20-point first half. Windler was lights out from beyond the arc and it allowed Cotton to get more space in the second half and secure the game for the Wildcats. With Keanu Pinder also scoring over 20 points in the win, Perth is slowly building towards a strong push to end the season.

The stat: This is a battle between the best free-throw shooting team (Perth 78.5 per cent) and the worst (New Zealand 71.1 per cent.

Missing in action: Parker Jackson-Cartwright is out (suspended). Tai Webster is also sidelined (hamstring). Kristian Doolittle is out for the Wildcats (groin).

Tasmania vs South East Melbourne

When: Sunday, January 5 - 4.30pm AEDT
Where: MyState Bank Arena
Watch: Live on ESPN via Kayo, 10, 10 Bold & 10 Play | NZ: ESPN | International
Scores: Download the free NBL App

Watch for: South East Melbourne went into Illawarra and came away with a big win that could further launch Josh King’s men into a deep Finals run. Defensively, the Phoenix are arguably the best in the league and it’s a major reason as to why this team finds themselves in the top six. If history has told us anything about the NBL, that is the recipe for success, regardless of how high scoring some teams have been in recent weeks.

The task for the Phoenix faces another big test, as the defensive benchmark in recent years has been the Tasmania JackJumpers. As the reigning champions continue to put wins together, recently notching up their eighth straight, it’s déjà vu once again. The JackJumpers thrive when their backs are against the wall and they have found themselves there many times this season and now sit third. This matchup could well be a Play-In game preview, which makes it even more enticing.

Players to watch: Nathan Sobey and Derrick Walton Jr were the electrifying guard combination that everyone excepted when they beat the Hawks on New Years Eve.  With all the firepower that this team has, it still feels as though how far they go this season will depend on how their two star guards play, because Matt Hurt has been a very consistent threat every single game.

Tasmania has seen its offence really thrive during its win streak and the main reason for that is the fact that Jordon Crawford gets to come off the bench and be a straight scorer. With Sean Macdonald controlling things from the point guard position, all Crawford now has to do is look to score the ball at a high rate.

The stat: Tasmania has increased its points per game from 79 to 83.7 throughout this win streak.

Missing in action: Will Magnay is out (toe).

Illawarra vs Tasmania

When: Tuesday, January 7 - 7.30pm AEDT
Where: WIN Entertainment Centre
Watch: Live on ESPN via Kayo | NZ: ESPN | International
Scores: Download the free NBL App

Watch for: Something will have to give in this game as it features the highest scoring and fastest paced team in the league, Illawarra, against the exact opposite in Tasmania. Either way it poses for incredible viewing, as the Hawks try to push the tempo at every opportunity, while the JackJumpers do their best to bring the game to a halt. It’s a chess game that both Justin Tatum and Scott Roth will be trying to outsmart the other and come away with a big win.

Another thing to watch for is if Roth decides to not stick to that game plan and instead choose to play the way they did against Melbourne United just two weeks ago. In that game, the JackJumpers ramped it up offensively and took advantage of a poor defensive transition team in United.

Players to watch: Trey Kell III has put himself firmly into the MVP conversation with his stellar performances to lead his team to being top of the standings at this point of the season. Not only is he putting up big numbers himself, but he is also making life easier for his backcourt partner in Tyler Harvey, who is having the most efficient season of his career. When both star guards get rolling, the Hawks are a steam train that is very hard to contain.

When Milton Doyle gets aggressive, the JackJumpers are usually in a strong position to win. The former All-NBL guard has been up and down in NBL25, but he is still capable of putting together some big games. The same question remains about this team, in whether or not Doyle and Crawford can fire together. If they consistently get that to happen, then Tasmania are a force to be reckoned with.

The stat: Illawarra averages 101.4 points per game (first). Tasmania averages 83.7 points per game (ninth).

Missing in action: Will Magnay will remain sidelined (toe).

Brisbane vs New Zealand

When: Wednesday, January 8 - 7.30pm AEDT
Where: Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Watch: Live on ESPN via Kayo | NZ: ESPN | International
Scores: Download the free NBL App

Watch for: Josh Adams could be the perfect late piece to add for the way Justin Schueller has had his team performing lately, albeit the club is yet to announce his signing. As the rotation has been shortened, there has been an added emphasis on their scoring to come from the imports and that won’t change when Adams reportedly arrives.

With Tacko Fall now having a big impact in games for the Breakers, this may very well be his best opportunity to show his ability when he takes on Tyrell Harrison. It’s the two tallest players in the league going head-to-head and it’s sure to create some fireworks.

Players to watch: The Bullets high-powered offence has been largely due to Casey Prather and Keandre Cook, who are not just putting up big numbers, but they are doing it efficiently as well. Isaac White is another who has been patiently awaiting his opportunity to get some extended minutes and be able to show that he’s capable of scoring at a high rate.

The Breakers will again be relying on a team performance to get the job done and they’ll need their young talent in Karim Lopez and Mojave King to become focal points. With their star guard still suspended, there aren’t many expectations on this Breakers team right now, so their should be a sense of freedom from the playing group.

The stat: New Zealand lead the league in fouls per game (20.6). Brisbane are the best team in the league for foul discipline (17.6).

Missing in action: Parker Jackson-Cartwright is out (suspended).  Sam McDaniel is out for the season (shoulder), alongside James Batemon (hamstring). Deng Adel is also sidelined (hand).